Pta method and apparatus utilizing the same

ABSTRACT

An apparatus (and related method) coordinates wireless communication operations for coexisted wireless communication modules. The apparatus includes a packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module coupled between a first wireless communication module and a second wireless communication module, granting the first request requesting for a first wireless communication operation with a first priority in a first time period from the first wireless communication module, receiving a second request requesting for a second wireless communication operation with a second priority from the second wireless communication module when the granted first wireless communication operation is not finished. In operation, the first wireless communication operation interferes with the second wireless communication operation, the PTA module granting the second request and informing the first wireless communication module to take back the granted first request when the second priority is higher than the first priority.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/489,588, which was filed on Jun. 23, 2009, whichis all incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to a Packet Traffic Arbitration (PTA)method and an apparatus using the method, and more particularly, to anapparatus that uses the PTA method for coordinating the operation amonga plurality of wireless communication modules thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a wireless communication mechanism, a PTA request for TX/RX(transmission/reception) operation is sent for arbitration to determinewhether the PTA request should be granted. With the development ofwireless communication technology, a modern mobile device may beprovided with more than one wireless communication service, such as aBluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) and Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) wireless communication service. In this regard,the overlapping or adjacent operating frequency band among the differentwireless communication services causes transmission performances thereofto degrade. Table 1 below shows the operating frequency band for aWiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communication service.

TABLE 1 Category of Wireless Communication Services WirelessCommunication Usage service Frequency band Wide Area Network (WAN) WiMAX2.300-2.400 GHz 2.496-2.690 GHz 3.300-3.800 GHz Local Area Network (LAN)WiFi 2.412-2.4835 GHz    4.9-5.9 GHz Personal Area Network (PAN)Bluetooth 2.402-2.480 GHz

Thus, the coordination among different wireless communication serviceshas become an important issue.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention discloses an apparatus comprising a firstwireless communication module, a second wireless communication moduleand a packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module. The first wirelesscommunication module issues a first request for a first transmission orreception (TX or RX) operation in a first time period, wherein the firstrequest comprises information regarding a first power level forperforming the first TX or RX operation. The second wirelesscommunication module issues a second request for a second TX or RXoperation in a second time period, wherein the second request comprisesinformation regarding a second power level for performing the second TXor RX operation. The packet traffic arbitration (PTA) module is coupledbetween the first wireless communication module and the second wirelesscommunication module, receives the first request from the first wirelesscommunication module and the second request from the second wirelesscommunication module, and grants one or both of the first request andthe second request according to the first power level and the secondpower level when the first time period is overlapped with the secondtime period.

Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention discloses a method forresponding to grant and rejection signals issued by a packet trafficarbitrator (PTA) module, performed by a wireless communication module ofan apparatus. The method comprises receiving a grant signal in responseto a previously issued request for requesting the PTA module forperforming a wireless communication operation, receiving a signalindicating that the granted request is rejected by the PTA module beforethe wireless communication operation finishes, and immediately stoppingthe wireless communication operation.

An embodiment of the invention also discloses an apparatus comprising afirst wireless communication module, a second wireless communicationmodule and a PTA module. The first wireless communication module issuesa first request for a first transmission or reception (TX or RX)operation in a first time period, wherein the first request furthercomprises information regarding a second time period for performing thenext of the first TX or RX operation, the second wireless communicationmodule issues a second request for a second TX or RX operation in athird time period overlapping with the second time period after thefirst RX or RX operation is finished. The PTA module is coupled to thefirst and second wireless communication modules, determining whether togrant or reject the second request according to information carried bythe first and second requests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an apparatus using a PTA module forcoordinating the operation among different wireless communicationservices such as a WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communicationservice according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A shows a PTA request configuration according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating periodical TX/RX operations;

FIG. 3A shows a process of a PTA module granting a PTA request accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3B shows a process of a PTA module rejecting a PTA requestaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3C and 3D shows a process of a PTA module taking back a grantedPTA request when granting a newly coming PTA request according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a PTA request arbitration performed by a PTAmodule according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart performed by a wireless communication modulefor performing the TX/RX operation in response to reply messages from aPTA module according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6A-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict between aBluetooth PTA request and a WiMAX PTA request according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6A-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation conflictbetween a Bluetooth and a WiMAX PTA requests according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6B-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict among aBluetooth PTA request, a WiMAX PTA request and a WiFi PTA requestaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation conflictamong the Bluetooth, WiMAX and WiFi PTA requests according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6C-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflictbetween a Bluetooth PTA request and a WiMAX PTA request according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6C-2 shows a proposed solution for solving the operation conflictbetween the Bluetooth and WiMAX PTA requests according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6D-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation between a WiMAX PTArequest and a WiFi PTA request according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 6D-2 shows a diagram of a granted simultaneous operation between aWiMAX PTA request and a WiFi PTA requests according to an embodiment ofthe invention; and

FIG. 7 shows a diagram of a PTA module rejecting a WiFi PTA requestaccording to an interval information of a Bluetooth PTA request.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carryingout the invention. This description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determinedby reference to the appended claims.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an apparatus using a PTA module forcoordinating the operation among different wireless communicationservices such as a WiMAX, WiFi and Bluetooth wireless communicationservice according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, theapparatus 10 comprises a WiMAX module 11 implemented based on theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16standard, a WiFi module 13 implemented based on the IEEE 802.11standard, a Bluetooth module 15, and a PTA module 17. The PTA module 17handles the PTA requests issued from the WiMAX module 11, the WiFimodule 13 and the Bluetooth module 15, and determines which PTA requestis granted. Note that, those skilled in the art may realize the WiMAX,WiFi and Bluetooth modules 11, 13 and 15 sharing two antennas or less.

FIG. 2A shows a PTA request configuration according to an embodiment ofthe invention. A PTA request may comprise 8 fields: Start (1 bit) 21,TX/RX (1 bit) 22, Local Priority (N1 bits) 23, Band Information (N2bits) 24, TX/RX Power Level (N3 bits) 25, Start Time (N4 bits) 26,Duration (N5 bits) 27 and Interval (N6 bits) 28. The Start field 21indicates the initialization of a PTA request, which is always set as 1.The TX/RX field 22 indicates that the PTA request is a TX or RXoperation. If the bit is set as 0, for example, it indicates a TXoperation and vice versa. The Local Priority field 23 indicates thelocal priority of the PTA request, which is further mapped into a globalpriority. The PTA module 17 uses the global priority information todetermine which PTA request is granted. The local priority level ofrepresentative WiMAX packets is categorized as:

(1) Level 0: MAPs (downlink control information) packets, which has thehighest priority. MAP packets refer to packets broadcasted by a WiMAXbase station to mobile stations, defining access to the downlink channelor uplink channel thereof (e.g. data reception or transmission intervalfor designated mobile station).

(2) Level 1: real-time or voice data packets (ex. Unsolicited GrantService).

(3) Level 2: other packets, which have lowest priority.

In addition, the local priority level of representative Bluetoothpackets is categorized as:

(1) Level 0: Synchronous Connection-Oriented (SCO), Extended SynchronousConnection-Oriented (e-SCO) or inquiry packets, which has the highestpriority.

(2) Level 1: other packets.

In addition, the local priority level of representative WiFi packets iscategorized as:

(1) Level 0: Beacon packets, which has the highest priority.

(2) Level 1: other packets.

The local priority of different type of packets for WiMAX, Bluetooth andWiFi is then mapped into a global priority table, which may be stored ina non-volatile memory or storage device of the PTA module 17, as shownin Table 2:

TABLE 2 Global Priority of WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi Global PriorityType Local Priority 0 WiMAX MAPs 0 1 Bluetooth High Priority Packets 0 2WiFi Beacon Packets 0 3 WiMAX UGS 1 4 Bluetooth Low Priority Packets 1 5WiMAX BE Packets 2 6 WiFi Data Packets 1In another application, the above table may be adjusted to set theglobal priority 0 to a Tx or Rx operation for the Bluetooth HighPriority Packets; the global priority 1 to a Tx or Rx operation for theWiMAX MAPs; and the global priority 2 to an Tx or Rx operation for theWiFi Beacon Packets. In still another application, the above table maybe adjusted to set the global priority 0 to a Tx or Rx operation for theBluetooth High Priority Packets; the global priority 1 to a Tx or Rxoperation for the WiFi Beacon Packets; and the global priority 2 to a Txor Rx operation for the WiMAX MAPs.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the Band Information field 24 indicates theband information index setting for a wireless communication service. Theband information for WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi, which may be stored in anon-volatile memory or storage device of the PTA module 17, are shown inthe following Tables 3-1 to 3-3 respectively:

TABLE 3-1 Band Information of WiMAX Band Information Index (WiMAX)  02.300~2.310 GHz  1 2.310~2.320 GHz . . . . . .  9 2.390~2.400 GHz 102.500~2.510 GHz 11 2.510~2.520 GHz . . . . . . 19 2.590~2.600 GHz 20Other (don't case)

TABLE 3-2 Band Information of Bluetooth Band Information Index(Bluetooth) 0 2.402 GHz 1 2.403 GHz 2 2.404 GHz . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78  2.480 GHz

TABLE 3-3 Band Information of WiFi Band Information Index (WiFi) 1 2.412GHz 2 2.417 GHz 3 2.422 GHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 13  2.472 GHz 14  2.484 GHz

As shown in Table 3-1, the number of WiMAX bands is 21. Therefore, therequired length of the Band Information field is 5 bits. Similarly,referring to Tables 3-2 and 3-3, the required lengths of Bluetooth andWiFi bands are 7 and 4 bits, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 2, for a TX operation PTA request, the TX/RX PowerLevel field 25 indicates the TX power level setting index. Similarly,for an RX operation PTA request, the TX/RX Power Level field 25indicates the RX power level setting index. The power level informationfor WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi are shown in the following Table 4:

TABLE 4 Power Level Information of WiMAX, Bluetooth and WiFi Power LevelPower Level Power Level Index (WiMAX) Index (Bluetooth) Index (WiFi) 0 >30 dBm 0  >0 dBm 0  >20 dBm 1  >20 dBm 1 >−15 dBm 1  >10 dBm 2  >10dBm 2 >−30 dBm 2  >0 dBm 3  >0 dBm 3 <−30 dBm 3 >−10 dBm 4 >−10 dBm N/AN/A 4 >−20 dBm 5 >−20 dBm N/A N/A 5 >−30 dBm 6 >−30 dBm N/A N/A 6 >−40dBm 7 >−40 dBm N/A N/A 7 <−40 dBm 8 >−50 dBm N/A N/A N/A N/A 9 >−60 dBmN/A N/A N/A N/A 10 >−70 dBm N/A N/A N/A N/A 11 >−80 dBm N/A N/A N/A N/A12 >−90 dBm N/A N/A N/A N/A 13 <−90 dBm N/A N/A N/A N/A

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating periodical TX/RX operations. Togetherwith FIG. 2A, for a PTA request, the Start Time field 26 indicates atime period between the start of the TX/RX operation and the issuancetime of the PTA request t₂₁ to notify the PTA module when will be therequested TX/RX operation started. The Duration field 27 indicates thetime duration requiring for the requested TX/RX operation t₂₂. TheInterval field 28 indicates a time period between the start of the nextTX/RX operation and the issuance time of the PTA request t₂₃ to notifythe PTA module when will be the next TX/RX operation started if therequested TX/RX operation is periodically occurred. The time durationrequired for the next TX/RX operation may be the same as the currentlyrequested TX/RX operation. The Interval field 28 is zero if therequested TX/RX operation is not periodically occurred.

As stated above, the PTA module 17 handles the PTA requests from theWiMAX module 11, the WiFi module 13 and the Bluetooth module 15, anddetermines whether to grant the PTA requests. There are three possiblescenarios that may evolve:

(1) The PTA module 17 may determine that there is no operation conflictbetween the PTA requests in a forthcoming time period. Therefore, thePTA module 17 grants all PTA requests. In this case, referring to FIG.3A, the PTA module 17 may set the PTA signal as “1” (or logic high) tothe granted modules, denoted as 32, following the Guard Time 31 untilthe TX/RX operation is finished.

(2) The PTA module 17 may determine that there is an operation conflictbetween the PTA requests in a forthcoming time period. Therefore, thePTA module 17 determines which PTA request is granted and which PTArequest or requests is or are rejected. In this case, referring to FIG.3B, for the PTA request that is rejected, the PTA module 17 may set thePTA signal as “0” (or logic low) to the rejected module(s) for 2 μslong, denoted as 33, following the Guard Time 31. In response to therejection, if the rejected PTA request is for TX operation, therequesting wireless communication module (such as WiMAX module 11, theWiFi module 13 or the Bluetooth module 15) does not perform the TXoperation. If the rejected PTA request is for RX operation, therequesting wireless communication module can freely decide whether toperform the RX operation. This is because the TX operation of therejected PTA request may affect another granted TX or RX operation.Therefore, the rejected wireless communication module should not performthe TX operation to avoid interference with another granted TX or RXoperation. On the contrary, the RX operation of the rejected PTA requestcan receive data in an attempt and may fortunately obtain data when themedia is not very bad.

(3) The PTA module 17 may grant a PTA request and later take the grantedPTA request back when the granted TX or RX operation conflicts with anewly coming PTA request with a higher priority PTA request. If therejected PTA request is for TX operation, the wireless communicationmodule stops the TX operation, referring to 35 of FIG. 3C. If therejected PTA request is for RX operation, the wireless communicationmodule freely decides whether to finish the RX operation, referring to36 of FIG. 3D.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a PTA request arbitration performed by a PTAmodule according to an embodiment of the invention. In the beginning, aPTA request R1 is received, where another PTA request R2 was previouslyreceived (step S40). Next, it is determined whether the time duration ofthe PTA request R1 overlaps with the time duration of another PTArequest R2 (step S41). If not, the PTA request R1 is granted andrecorded (step S45). If so, the PTA module 17 checks the TX/RXinformation, band information and power levels of the PTA request R1 andthe PTA request R2 (step S42), and determines whether the PTA request R1and the PTA request R2 will interfere with each other accordingly (stepS43). Although the durations of these two requests are overlapped, thePTA request R1 and the PTA request R2 will not interfere with eachother, for an example, if the TX power level of a PTA request (may bePTA request R1 or R2) is low enough, such as lower than −10 dBm, and theRX power level of another PTA request is high enough, such as higherthan −30 dBm. Or, for another example, if the following conditions aresatisfied: the TX power level of a PTA request (may be PTA request R1 orR2) is smaller than a predetermined value, such as 15 dBm, the RX powerlevel of another PTA request is greater than a predetermined value, suchas −30 dBm, and the frequency band of the PTA request R1 is separatedfrom the frequency band of the PTA request R2 by a predetermined value,such as 20 MHz. If the conditions are satisfied, the PTA request R1 isgranted and recorded (step S45). If the conditions are not satisfied,the PTA module 17 determines which of the PTA request R1 and the PTArequest R2 should be granted and which of the PTA request R1 and the PTArequest R2 should be rejected according to the global priorityinformation of the PTA request R1 and the PTA request R2 (step S44).Finally, the PTA module 17 grants the PTA request with higher priorityand records the granted PTA request (step S45).

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart performed by a wireless communication modulefor performing the TX/RX operation in response to reply messages from aPTA module according to an embodiment of the invention. In thebeginning, a wireless communication module receives a reply message thatis issued by a PTA module 17 in response to a PTA request previouslyissued by the wireless communication module (step S50). Next, thewireless communication module determines whether the reply message is agrant message (step S51). If so (grant message), the wirelesscommunication module performs the TX/RX operation specified in the PTArequest (step S52). If not (rejection message), the wirelesscommunication module determines whether the PTA request is an RXoperation (step S53). If not (TX operation), the wireless communicationmodule doesn't perform the TX operation and postpones the TX operationuntil the next PTA request is granted (step S54). If so (RX operation),the wireless communication module may forcibly perform or not performthe requested RX operation (step S55). Following the step S52, thewireless communication module periodically determines whether the PTAmodule takes the grant message back during the ongoing TX/RX operation(step S56). If not, the wireless communication module continues theTX/RX operation as usual until its completion (step S57). If so, theprocedure proceeds to step S53, wherein the wireless communicationmodule determines whether the PTA request is an RX operation. If not (TXoperation), the wireless communication module stops the ongoing TXoperation (step S54). If so (RX operation), the wireless communicationmodule may forcibly continue the remaining RX operation or stop theongoing RX operation (step S55).

FIG. 6A-1 shows a diagram of an exemplary operation conflict between aBluetooth PTA request for transmitting Bluetooth packets 61 a and aWiMAX PTA request for receiving WiMAX MAP packets 61 b according to anembodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6A-1, the WiMAX PTA request comesbefore the Bluetooth PTA request, and the PTA module 17 determines thatthe time duration of the Bluetooth PTA request overlaps with the timeduration of the WiMAX PTA request. In this case, the transmission ofBluetooth packets may interfere with the reception of WiMAX MAP packets,so other factors are taken into consideration. Referring to FIG. 6A-2which shows a proposed solution for solving the operation conflictaccording to an embodiment of the invention, the PTA module 17 furtherchecks the TX power level specified in the Bluetooth PTA request, the RXpower level specified in the WiMAX PTA request, and the frequency bandof the two PTA requests, and determines that the condition stated instep S43 is not satisfied. Therefore, the PTA module 17 determines thatthe transmission of Bluetooth packets 61 a will interfere with thereception of WiMAX MAP packets 61 b. Following, the PTA module 17 checksthe global priority information shown in Table 2 and determines that theWiMAX MAP packets have the highest priority. Therefore, the BluetoothPTA request is rejected and its Bluetooth packets transmission 61 a ispostponed by a period so that the reception of WiMAX MAP packets 61 bwill not be interfered. Wherein, the Bluetooth packets transmission 61 acan be postponed by the PTA module 17 since the Bluetooth PTA request isa periodic (3.75 millisecond) request.

FIG. 6B-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflict amonga Bluetooth PTA request for receiving Bluetooth packets 62 a, a WiMAXPTA request for downloading WiMAX packets 62 b and a WiFi PTA requestfor transmitting WiFi data packets 62 c according to an embodiment ofthe invention. In FIG. 6B-1, the WiMAX PTA request comes first, followedby the WiFi PTA request and the Bluetooth PTA request. The PTA module 17then determines that the time duration of the WiFi PTA request overlapswith the time duration of the Bluetooth PTA request and the WiMAX PTArequest. In this case, the transmission of WiFi data packets 62 c mayinterfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets and the downloading ofWiMAX packets 62 b, so other factors are taken into consideration.Referring to FIG. 6B-2 which shows a proposed solution for solving theoperation conflict according to an embodiment of the invention, the PTAmodule 17 further checks the TX power level specified in the WiFi PTArequest, the RX power level specified in the WiMAX and Bluetooth PTArequests, the frequency band of the three PTA requests, and determinesthat the condition stated in step S43 is not satisfied. Therefore, thePTA module 17 determines that the transmission of WiFi data packets 62 cwill interfere with the reception of Bluetooth packets and thedownloading of WiMAX packets 62 b. Following, the PTA module 17 checksthe global priority information shown in Table 2 and determines that theWiFi data packets have lowest priority. Therefore, the WiFi PTA requestis rejected and its WiFi data packets transmission 62 c is postponed bythe PTA module 17 until the reception of Bluetooth packets 62 a and thedownloading of WiMAX packets 62 b are finished. In this manner, thereception of Bluetooth packets 62 a and the downloading of WiMAX packets62 b will not be interfered.

FIG. 6C-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation conflictbetween a Bluetooth PTA request for receiving Bluetooth packets 63 b anda WiMAX PTA request for uploading WiMAX packets 63 c according to anembodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6C-1, only the WiMAX PTA request ispresented at the beginning. Referring to FIG. 6C-2 which shows aproposed solution for solving the operation conflict according to anembodiment of the invention, even though only the WiMAX PTA request ispresent at the beginning, the uploading of WiMAX packets 63 c is stillnot granted. This is because the PTA module 17 is able to determine thereceipt of the next Bluetooth PTA request 63 b by the intervalinformation specified in the prior Bluetooth PTA request, as shown inFIG. 6A-1 or 6A-2 also. Based on this, the PTA module 17 determines thatthe time duration of the current WiMAX PTA request overlaps with thetime duration of the next Bluetooth PTA request to be received. In thiscase, the uploading of WiMAX packets 63 c may interfere with thereception of Bluetooth packets 63 b, so other factors are taken intoconsideration. Next, the PTA module 17 further checks the TX power levelspecified in the WiMAX PTA request, the RX power level specified in theBluetooth PTA request, the frequency band of the two PTA requests, anddetermines that the uploading of WiMAX packets 63 c will interfere withthe reception of Bluetooth packets 63 b. Following, the PTA module 17further checks the global priority information shown in Table 2 anddetermines that the WiMAX packets have lower priority. Therefore, theWiMAX PTA request is rejected before the Bluetooth PTA request comesout. In this manner, the reception of Bluetooth packets 63 b that isgoing to take place will not be interfered.

FIG. 6D-1 shows a diagram of another exemplary operation between a WiMAXPTA request for uploading WiMAX packets 64 a and a WiFi PTA request forreceiving WiFi Beacon packets 64 b according to an embodiment of theinvention. In FIG. 6D-1, the WiMAX PTA request comes before the WiFi PTArequest and the PTA module 17 determines that the time duration of theWiFi PTA request overlaps with the time duration of the WiMAX PTArequest. In this case, the uploading of WiMAX packets 64 a may interferewith the reception of WiFi Beacon packets 64 b, so other factors aretaken into consideration. Referring to FIG. 6D-2, the PTA module 17further checks the TX power level specified in the WiMAX PTA request,and the RX power level specified in the WiFi PTA request, the frequencyband of the two PTA requests, and determines that the uploading of WiMAXpackets 64 a will not interfere with the reception of WiFi Beaconpackets 64 b since their frequency band separation is greater than 20MHz. Therefore, the PTA module 17 allows the uploading of WiMAX packets64 a and the reception of WiFi Beacon packets 64 b to be taken placesimultaneously.

An embodiment of the PTA module may reject a PTA request for anotherun-issued periodical PTA request that has a higher priority, which canbe predicted by the PTA module 17. For example, referring to FIG. 7, aWiFi PTA request for TX operation comes prior to a second Bluetooth PTArequest not issued yet, and the WiFi PTA request is still rejectedbecause the PTA module 17 predicts the second Bluetooth PTA request willbe received according to the Interval field 28 specified in the firstBluetooth PTA request.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

1. An apparatus for coordinating wireless communication operations forcoexisted wireless communication modules, comprising: a packet trafficarbitration (PTA) module coupled between a first wireless communicationmodule and a second wireless communication module, granting the firstrequest requesting for a first wireless communication operation with afirst priority in a first time period from the first wirelesscommunication module, receiving a second request requesting for a secondwireless communication operation with a second priority from the secondwireless communication module when the granted first wirelesscommunication operation is not finished, wherein the first wirelesscommunication operation interferes with the second wirelesscommunication operation, the PTA module granting the second request andinforming the first wireless communication module to take back thegranted first request when the second priority is higher than the firstpriority.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising thefirst wireless communication module receiving a signal indicating thatthe first granted request is taken back by the PTA module before thefirst wireless communication operation finishes, and immediatelystopping the first wireless communication operation.
 3. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, further comprising the first wireless communicationmodule receiving a signal indicating that the first granted request istaken back by the PTA module before the first wireless communicationoperation finishes, and immediately stopping the unfinished firstwireless communication operation when the first wireless communicationoperation is a transmission (TX) operation.
 4. The apparatus as claimedin claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication module continues toperform the unfinished first wireless communication operation when thefirst wireless communication operation is a reception (RX) operation. 5.The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first and secondwireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation andthe other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request furthercomprises information regarding a first power level for the firstwireless communication operation, the second request further comprisesinformation regarding a second power level for the second wirelesscommunication operation, and the PTA module further determines that thefirst wireless communication operation does not interfere with thesecond wireless communication operation when the first time periodoverlaps with the second time period, the TX operation is lower than afirst value, and the RX operation is higher than a second value.
 6. Thesystem as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first and secondwireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation andthe other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request furthercomprises information regarding a first power level for the firstwireless communication operation and in which a first frequency band thefirst wireless communication operation performs, the second requestfurther comprises information regarding a second power level for thesecond wireless communication operation and in which a second frequencyband the second wireless communication operation performs, and the PTAmodule further determines that the first wireless communicationoperation does not interfere with the second wireless communicationoperation when the first time period overlaps with the second timeperiod, the TX operation is lower than a first value, the RX operationis higher than a second value, and the first frequency band separatesfrom the second frequency band by a third value.
 7. A method forcoordinating wireless communication operations for coexisted wirelesscommunication modules, comprising: granting the first request requestingfor a first wireless communication operation with a first priority in afirst time period from a first wireless communication module; receivinga second request requesting for a second wireless communicationoperation with a second priority from a second wireless communicationmodule when the granted first wireless communication operation is notfinished, wherein the first wireless communication operation interfereswith the second wireless communication operation; and granting thesecond request and informing the first wireless communication module totake back the granted first request when the second priority is higherthan the first priority.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 7, whereinthe first wireless communication module receives a signal indicatingthat the first granted request is taken back by the PTA module beforethe first wireless communication operation finishes, and immediatelystops the first wireless communication operation.
 9. The method asclaimed in claim 7, wherein the first wireless communication modulereceives a signal indicating that the first granted request is takenback by the PTA module before the first wireless communication operationfinishes, and immediately stops the unfinished first wirelesscommunication operation when the first wireless communication operationis a transmission (TX) operation.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9,wherein the first wireless communication module continues to perform theunfinished first wireless communication operation when the firstwireless communication operation is a reception (RX) operation
 11. Themethod as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the first and secondwireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation andthe other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request furthercomprises information regarding a first power level for the firstwireless communication operation, the second request further comprisesinformation regarding a second power level for the second wirelesscommunication operation, the method further comprising: determining thatthe first wireless communication operation does not interfere with thesecond wireless communication operation when the first time periodoverlaps with the second time period, the TX operation is lower than afirst value, and the RX operation is higher than a second value.
 12. Themethod as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the first and secondwireless communication operations is a transmission (TX) operation andthe other is a reception (RX) operation, the first request furthercomprises information regarding a first power level for the firstwireless communication operation and in which a first frequency band thefirst wireless communication operation performs, the second requestfurther comprises information regarding a second power level for thesecond wireless communication operation and in which a second frequencyband the second wireless communication operation performs, the methodfurther comprising: determining that the first wireless communicationoperation does not interfere with the second wireless communicationoperation when the first time period overlaps with the second timeperiod, the TX operation is lower than a first value, the RX operationis higher than a second value, and the first frequency band separatesfrom the second frequency band by a third value.